A Red Cross Marks the Spot
by quonoeye
Summary: The emergence of a serial killer forces Jane and Lisbon undercover to find evidence, while also dealing with the aftershocks of Jane's 'breakdown' and how that has affected their partnership and relationship. Jane/Lisbon. post 4x24.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi. So this was a random idea that popped into my head one night, and hasn't left me alone, so writing it seemed like the right thing to do. As you'll find out in the chapter this is set about three months after 'The Crimson Hat', but isn't exploring that particular storyline directly. This is my first Mentalist fic, so I am hoping I can write the characters as accurately as possible. Hope you enjoy and reviews are always appreciated. **

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The call had come only an hour after she finally drifted off to sleep. This was one of the biggest downsides of working in law enforcement, the hours fluctuated to fit in with the killer, which often meant these ridiculous one in the morning call outs. Even worse than being forced out of bed at the ungodly hour, was informing her team, hearing the annoyed grumbles as she roused them from their sleep. It was only her consultant who never seemed to complain about the early start, but she figured that had something to do with his almost constant insomnia.

Teresa Lisbon took as much time as she could afford to make herself look presentable before finally dragging herself out to her car and making her way to the latest crime scene. In her weary state, she had neglected getting a jolt of caffeine, and knew she would be soon suffering even more in her plight to remain awake and alert.

Thankfully for her fatigue the crime scene was local for a change, the back of a grocery store about fifteen minutes from her apartment. The local PD's had gotten a call out at midnight from a couple of teenagers who had stumbled upon a body while finding a place to drink their stolen alcohol. When the local officers had arrived on the scene they had canvassed the area and found two additional bodies that looked to have been dumped by the same person as the first.

Arriving at the scene Lisbon made her way over to the officers who were huddled around one of the bodies while a coroner gathered preliminary evidence. Lisbon spoke briefly with the officers first on the scene, and was informed that the case was being handed over to her and her team without any problems. This took some weight off her shoulders, glad she could avoid any territorial arguments, but as soon as she felt that relief her stress levels rose again once she noticed a blue Citroen pull up next to her vehicle.

"Hey Lisbon, what a beautiful night to be out under the stars," Patrick Jane stepped out of his car grinning, behaving as if this was a casual night out.

"Yeah, it's fantastic, nothing I like more than being woken up in the middle of the night and having to deal with a possible serial killer," Lisbon beckoned him over to one of the bodies, hoping that once he had done his mentalist thing he would go home and avoid adding to her paperwork before official office hours had even begun.

"Serial killer you say, this one should be exciting," at his words his boss rolled her eyes, marvelling at his enthusiasm at such an early hour. She watched on a Jane squatted next to the body, smelling it, climbing over it, lying next to it, and everything else no normal person would do around a dead body. Luckily for her, it was at this point the rest of her team arrived, getting her one step closer to going home and getting at least a couple of hours sleep before what looked to be a complicated case.

"Ah, if it isn't the rest of our Justice League," Jane had moved away from the body and was greeting the newly arrived agents. All he got in return was a glare from Rigsby and Van Pelt, and the usual stony expression from Cho, but if it was possible, was even more emotionless.

This had been the reception Jane had been receiving from the three agents for the last three months, ever since he came back from his six month 'breakdown' and had resumed working with them. It was clear the team were angrier with him than he originally believed, and despite his best efforts Lisbon was the only one willing to give him the time of day. This had made time in the office very awkward and boring.

"What do we have?" Cho inquired, trying to get this over with as quickly as possible.

"Three victims, all dumped here post mortem, cause of death looks to be asphyxiation, all of them have what looks to be bags of cocaine shoved down their throats. From the level of decomposition the coroner reckons the first body was dumped about six days ago and the other two sometime after that. Apart from the same causes of death, we have what looks to be the killers calling card, each of the victims have a cross sliced into their right wrists and then the skin has been stitched back together with a large red thread. That's all we have for now, not much else we can do until we get the victims ID's. But, before we leave here, I would like the three of you to speak to the officers who were first on the scene and the teenagers who found one of the bodies, try to get an accurate sense of what was here before it was disturbed."

Her three agents nodded at her orders and left their boss and consultant without a word, all sharing the same sentiment of wanting to go back to sleep.

"Looks like the pizza and donuts I bought yesterday have once again gone unappreciated," Jane commented when the agents were out of earshot.

"Jane, I've told you this already, they are still pretty pissed about you leaving like you did, buying them food isn't going to win them over," Lisbon told him making her way back to her car.

"Yeah, but it's been three months, you would think they would have cooled off by now. I mean, you were pretty forgiving quickly, why can't they be," he sulked.

"I figure, you do things like that often enough there is no point being angry all the time, don't get me wrong, I haven't completely forgiven you, but being short with you all the time isn't going to help matters." That was the truth, Lisbon was still angry at him over his six month disappearing act, but she felt hurt more than anything and was hoping by letting go of her anger she could hid what she was actually feeling sadness and confusion.

In the past three months she and Jane had been diligently trying to work any current cases they had going, while also still persisting with the task of getting Lorelei to crack. Their efforts thus far had gotten them nowhere, with Red John's girl refusing to give them anything. Lisbon was slowly growing frustrated with the constant lack of evidence and had quickly grown annoyed with Lorelei's constant referral to Jane as _lover_, which further added to her hurt over his 'breakdown' and confusion over the words he had said before 'shooting' her and later denied. She was glad he was back and somewhere she could keep an eye on him, but that didn't completely eradicate the residual feelings she had over his disappearance and seeming disregard for anyone who cared or worried about him during those six months.

"Lisbon are you listening?" Jane pulled her out of her thoughts, which was when she realised she had completely zoned out of her conversation with him.

"Oh, sorry Jane, my mind wandered off," She quickly unlocked her car and hurried inside, hoping to avoid any questioning.

"Are you alright to drive? You were pretty out of it just then?" The concern in Jane's voice was clear, which for a moment made her wonder if he did care, but she quickly pushed that away not wanting to get into a debate with herself in front of him.

"I'm fine, I just want to get home and get some sleep. It will probably be a long day tomorrow," she didn't wait for a response as she started the engine and drove off while hoping that tonight wouldn't be like the many sleepless nights she had endured during his absence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I can't** **tell you how thrilled I was by the response to the first chapter, the reviews and alerts were awesome. So luckily for you I didn't want to keep you waiting for an update for too long, and I hope to update as regularly as possible. So please enjoy this chapter and let me know me know what you think, because any response is greatly appreciated.**

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Her first coffee of the morning, a small pleasure she allowed herself before diving head first into her work. The caffeine was vital in keeping her, not only awake, but relaxed and always aided greatly in facilitating an easy start to the day. Even during those dark six months, the early morning jolt had been a nice familiar routine; it often allowed her to forget the reality of her circumstances. The return of seeing teabags in the trash and the kettle boiling almost on a loop was a reminder that he had returned. His blue cup and saucer were out of the cupboard where she had hidden them away. Jane was making his presence known even in the smallest ways.

Making her way to her office with her mug, she glanced at the bullpen, still empty and thankfully an unoccupied couch. She hadn't gotten much sleep after the early call-out and she knew with the new case it would be a few days, at least, until she caught up on that lost sleep. Luckily, especially since her consultant's absence, she had gotten used to working on very little or no sleep, and managed to deal with her fatigue without it affecting her work.

Wanting to get a start on the current case she began traipsing through missing person reports, a task she often left to Van Pelt, but she needed to do something before her mind managed to focus too much on her consultant and how much his return affected her. For once it wasn't too difficult to find the identities of her victims, whether that was that could be could be considered positive, since they seemed to have many people that missed them. As she printed off sheets to add to the case file, Lisbon noticed her team begin to arrive. First was Cho, who was almost never late; then Van Pelt, who she knew had relaxed her promptness slightly as her time with the team became longer; Rigsby was the last of the agents to arrive who had always had a slight air of tardiness about him, but even more so now with a child at home. Lisbon was hoping that today would be one where Jane took his time to get to work, giving her a little extra time without the tension between herself and the consultant, and the almost unbearable state of indifference the team was showing towards him.

"Hey, guys, I have managed to track down our victims ID's through Missing Persons," Lisbon decided to get things started immediately and hopefully not have a triple homicide hanging over her head for too long.

"The first victim was Timothy Banks, late-30's, divorced, one child, a daughter. He was a builder and according to the missing persons report he won a trip to the Gold Leaf hotel in a raffle and was staying there for two weeks. His ex-wife filed the report when she couldn't contact him. The second victim was Louisa Andrews, late-20's, single, was a student in English Literature, only child, was in town for a wedding, was reported missing when she failed to show up for a wedding rehearsal. And the third, most recent victim was Kaitlyn Winters, early-20's, engaged, was a receptionist at a law firm, and her fiancé reported her missing when she failed to meet him for dinner. There seems to be no link between the victims other than according to the missing persons reports they were all from out of town and were staying at the Gold Leaf hotel."

"Have the coroners been able to say what definitely killed them?" Cho asked in his usual deadpan manner.

"It's what we suspected, suffocation, probably due to having the bag of cocaine shoved down their throats. But, the coroner also said there was chloroform on the tox screens, so it looks like they were taken before they were killed, which would probably be why the all the bodies ended up in the same place." As she spoke she noticed Jane in the kitchen making his tea, and she inwardly groaned, knowing an icy tone would take over the team now that the object of their anger had arrived.

"Good morning everyone, my you all look fantastic this fine day," despite the reception he was receiving on a regular basis, he had been coming to work in a cheery mood, trying his best to coerce the team into talking to him. This had yet to be successful.

"Hi, Jane, here's the ID's of the victims, see if you can get anything from these. Rigsby and Cho I want you two to go down to the Gold Leaf hotel and see if you can look in the victims' rooms and inquire whether the staff know anything. Be careful though, given the only link is the hotel, it's very likely someone at the hotel could be responsible, the deaths can't just be a coincidence." Lisbon received a nod from the two agents before they grabbed their jackets and left the office.

"Van Pelt, I want you looking into the victims' phone records and any credit cards, the usual and see if anything raises any red flags. Jane you and I will go and talk to the victims' families. That will probably take most of the day, so Van Pelt; keep me updated on anything that happens back here."

"Sure thing, Boss." Van Pelt diligently began working almost immediately. Lisbon motioned to Jane to leave with her; glad that at least for today there wouldn't be the constant animosity between her agents and her consultant.

* * *

Talking to the victims' families had taken most of the day as Lisbon had anticipated; which Jane had been thankful for. Despite the cheery disposition he exuded he was deeply hurt by the fact that the agents who he considered family weren't even giving him the time of day. He was well aware of the fact that he had hurt them and played with their trust, but he had seen Lisbon forgive him to a certain extent, and had hoped the others could do the same.

Looking over to the driver's seat, he observed his partner. He would be stupid if he hadn't noticed her residual anger at him and was rather surprised by the normality between them. He had expected her to be more hostile towards him than she had been, not that he was complaining. But, he did wonder how she could forget and forgive so easily and quickly. Jane still felt enormous guilt over leaving her, deceiving her, and was constantly trying to convince himself that it had been all worth it. However, given the fact that in three months they had yet to crack Red John's girl, he was beginning to feel the guilt weigh him down more and more. He had visited the facility she was being held in that morning, hoping for a different outcome to his previous visits, but as usual she didn't relent.

Jane knew a definition of insanity was doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome, and by those standards he would be considered insane, but he was still clinging onto the hope that they would catch the elusive man this time. After all he had put his co-workers and friends through; he had to deliver them something, for things to remain the same wasn't an option. Clouding his thoughts as much as Red John, were thoughts of the woman sitting beside him. He was almost haunted by the words he had let slip before he 'shot' her and the look on her face when he said he 'forgot' what he had said.

He knew there was immense truth to those words, but it was his fear and guilt that held him back from broaching the subject anymore. His time away only cemented the fact that he didn't like being away from her, despite ignoring her attempts at communication, ignoring her had slowly eaten away at him and a few times he had been tempted to discard the charade and call her. But, unfortunately his deep seeded need for revenge had once again stopped him from doing what he should have done.

"You're very quiet today," Jane heard her voice fill the silence of the car, bringing him out of her thoughts.

"Oh, you know me not very talkative," he replied with a grin on his face looking over to the agent, and declared success when he saw a small smile grace her face. She didn't say anything after that, choosing to enjoy the rare silence.

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"Hey, guys, did you get anything from the hotel?" Lisbon was in 'boss' mode as soon as she entered the bullpen.

"Not much, we spoke to some of the staff. The only thing they had to say about the victims' was that while they were there they were basically hermits when it came to hotel 'activities'. Apparently the hotel puts on dinners for the guests and other social events, and according to their records, the victims' were the only ones that didn't really get involved. We looked in their rooms, nothing out of the ordinary, no sign of forced entry in any of the rooms." Rigsby relayed the information to his boss, while handing over guest information the hotel had printed off.

"Damn. Van Pelt, anything?"

"Nothing. No changes in credit card use and no unusual phone calls according to the records. And there wasn't anything in there to link any of the victims' together." Lisbon felt frusrtaed then and informed the team that nothing had amounted from her and Jane's visit to the victims' families.

"We have nothing, no leads at all to look into."

"Lisbon, if I may, I have an idea," Jane spoke up from his couch and earned himself the attention from the rest of the room.

"Those words never bring me much comfort Jane," his plans often ended up in dozens of complaints even when they did work.

"Just hear me out. The only link we have is that all the victims' were staying at the same hotel. Probability suggests that either one of the staff or guests were involved. And since there have been three murders already, I don't see the killer giving up easily. So I think we are left with only one viable option."

"Would you please get to the point?"

"Well since you asked so nicely, I think we need to gear up for some old fashioned undercover work," at his last works his face lit up, hoping desperately that Lisbon would agree with him. It only took one defeated look on her face to confirm that he had just presented their only real option, to this he responded with a huge infectious grin.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey. First of all thank you so much for your reviews and alerts, they seriously make my day and encourage me to write quicker. Secondly, I know this chapter is slightly shorter than the others, but hopefully I will make up for that in the next one. Please let me know what you think, because I love getting feedback. Hope you enjoy this and will have the next part up soon. **

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"Are you sure this is our only option?" Lisbon whispered, asking him for what seemed like the hundredth time. They were in the back of a cab on route to the Gold Leaf hotel. The team had hashed out the details of their boss and consultant going undercover and had come to a unanimous decision that they had to make it look like they were as genuine as possible. This included new ID's of course, but also new cell phones and slight alterations to their wardrobe.

"Of course, as I have told you every time you have asked over the last two days. If I didn't know any better I would say you don't trust me," Jane winked at her, hoping he could quell her doubts. If he was honest, he knew that there was a multitude of ways to find the killer, but this had seemed like the most enjoyable option and if it gave him the chance to have some time with Lisbon away from everyone, then so be it.

"Well, just remember what we are here to do, we do our job and then we go home," she saw the cab driver eyeing them suspiciously in the rear view mirror. She couldn't really blame him, if she saw a nervous woman and an overly confidant man whispering in the back of a cab she would be curious and suspicious as well.

"I know, I know. We do what we need to and then we get out," Jane had also noticed the cab driver's behaviour and couldn't resist adding fuel to the fire. Lisbon noticed his attempt at winding the driver up and chose to remain silent for the remainder of the journey.

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Jane and Lisbon entered the hotel, wheeling their luggage behind them. To aid them in keeping the 'mission' as real as possible Jane had altered his behaviour accordingly. While he wasn't normally one to respect Lisbon's personal space, it was made even worse now that they had to convince people that they were married. His brain had reverted to 'husband' mode, and he was desperately trying to adjust his behaviour towards Lisbon to match the way in which he had acted when Angela had been the one by his side. What surprised him was that this change didn't make him feel the usual guilt he felt when he was like this around 'other' women, and he couldn't decide whether that had anything to do with the fact that he knew this was just for show or if it related to the certain woman standing next to him. Jane was pulled from his thoughts as they reached the front desk and Lisbon began checking them in.

"Hi, we've book under Shaw, one room for 2 weeks," Jane noticed how flawlessly she had fallen into the character of Emma Shaw, 36, community college teacher from LA; married to Daniel, 40, psychologist in town for a conference. The irony of his fake profession wasn't lost on him, but as a team they had decided that it was a way in which they could easily brush off any incessant questioning Jane was bound to subject 'suspects' to eventually.

"Yes, here you are, you are on the second floor, room 207, fully paid for already. Was there anything you needed before you go to your room?" The receptionist Rachel, according to her badge, flashed the customary 'anything we can do for you' smile at the couple. Jane decided now to see how far he could go in character and wrapped his arm around Lisbon's waist, he felt her tense slightly before obviously remembering why they were there and relaxing into him.

"I am sure whatever is already there is just perfect. We don't need much, just the bed," Jane raised his eyebrows slightly and was sure if he could see her face Lisbon's cheeks would be a light shade of red.

"Ok, then, here's your key. We want to invite you to join in the few events we hold during the day and in the evenings, make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Everyone joins in and it's always great fun." _Well not everyone,_ Jane added in his head remembering the victims' seemed very opposed to this forced mingling.

"We'll see how we go," Jane flashed a smile at the receptionist and decided that while there were still people around to risk it and leant down slightly and pressed a kiss to Lisbon's cheek. He saw a smile grace her face for the first time that day and hoped that it was genuine and not just to help present themselves as a happy couple. Grabbing the key card out of the receptionist's hand, Jane began to guide Lisbon towards the elevator, neither of them yet noticing that his arm was still around her. He broke the contact briefly when they entered, but once inside his arm found its way back to her waist.

It wasn't until they arrived at the door to their room that she noticed the unnecessary contact now that there was no one watching them. She tensed slightly to prompt him to move away and awkwardly he did just that, already missing the comfort he had gotten from the simple contact. The room was a fairly decent size, a queen size bed, with a large couch in front of a television and a small area with a microwave and a kettle. Eyeing the couch which he knew would be his bed for the next two weeks, he decided it wasn't as perfect as his regular couch, but it was a good substitute. There was a slight awkwardness in the room, neither of them knowing quite what to do next, until Jane broke the silence.

"Well, now the fun begins." Clapping his hands together for effect he walked over to lie on the couch and began formulating their plan of attack for the evening.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello my lovely readers! Thank you so much for your reviews, follows, favourites! They make me so, so happy! This is the longest chapter I have written so far! Hope you enjoy and would love to hear your thoughts!**

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They had spent most of the first day in their hotel room, Jane 'napping' and Lisbon on her laptop trying to familiarise her with the victims and the suspects as much as possible. Jane had advised that while they needed to engage with some of the guests and staff they also had to try and act in the same way the victims had, isolated and unsocial. Lisbon knew that would make things ten times more difficult, but she noted how much thought Jane had put into this endeavour, and she felt mostly at ease about following his lead. Luckily sleeping arrangements hadn't entered an awkward stage yet, Jane wordlessly took the couch and she took the bed, both of them aware of the fact the other was there and were comforted with that knowledge.

When the morning came, Jane had managed to get a surprising four hours of sleep before being brought out of his slumber with a mild nightmare involving Lisbon. It wasn't a rare occurrence that he dreamt about his partner, but what had changed, was the content. Usually these night terrors involved Red John in some form, but lately, there had been no 'villain' just the fabrication of Lisbon leaving him. Never against her will and never with an explanation, but every time, she turned on him and never looked back, and this had become one of his most recurring nightmares.

He noted that it was still early when he woke. While they were working but not to a particular schedule he hoped Lisbon would take this extra time to catch up on the sleep she had been missing recently. She didn't think anyone noticed, but he had seen the bags under her eyes, and the stifled yawns when she was hunched over her latest paperwork. Of course, he knew he was to blame slightly for her fatigue and that guilt was part of what pushed him to suggest undercover work, to reward her with a break of sorts, while not taking her away from work completely. He knew it would take something serious to actually get her to take voluntary time off.

Jane heard Lisbon moving on the bed and after seeing she was in fact asleep, he grabbed some clothes and headed for the bathroom. He wanted to make the next couple of weeks as comfortable as possible and thought that if he kept up a sense of normality, i.e., as professional as possible, he might more easily get her to open up and possible reduce the tension that was between them that neither of them wanted to acknowledge.

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"Try to act as indifferent as possible, while also trying to attract as much attention as possible. We need to subtly talk to the guests, but still have to give the illusion that we don't want to socialise with anyone," Jane was trying to begin the first stage of the plan, see if any of the guests had noticed anything strange, or if the even noticed people had gone missing. He and Lisbon were down at the pool, he was hoping that location would achieve what he wanted.

"So, basically you're telling me to talk to people, while not talking to people? Jane, last time I checked I am not a mind reader and without that skill I don't see how I can do what you expect me to," Lisbon was frustrated, she hadn't gotten the best night's sleep and now Jane was trying to enact a plan that seemed impossible to execute.

"You don't have to make friends with anyone, but try and casually draw them into conversation without seeming too interested. Look, why don't you observe me first. Watch the master," Jane gave her a smile, which was met by a roll of her eyes, then scanned the pool area for his first 'target'. He noticed a group of women on the other side of the pool and made his way over to them. He very convincingly tripped over thin air and fell right in front of them. Seeing him they, naturally, rushed to him. He flashed them his patented grin and began talking to them and without much persuasion they were answered him all at the same time. Lisbon watched him make some excuse to leave and make his way back to her.

"See, easy as that." He sat next to her, a little closer than normal. He was slowly trying to get her to allow him into her personal space, and if she questioned him he would write it off as 'playing the part'.

"They would have done anything you asked them without question. It's what you always do, be charming and have people eating out of your hands," Lisbon looked over to the women and noticed a hint of jealousy directed at her. While she didn't show it, that made her struggle to keep a smile from overtaking her face. She wouldn't admit it, but she felt pleased with herself whenever she got the usual bouts of envy, she felt special, even though none of the women Jane charmed knew there was nothing to be jealous about.

"You think I'm charming?" He grinned at her, pleased when he saw her blush and turn her head away.

"Sometimes. When you aren't being a pain in the ass, that is," Lisbon turned to him with a grin on her face, feeling a little lighter knowing things didn't have to be awkward if they didn't let them be.

"Oh, don't deny it, you love it." Jane knew that was the wrong thing to say as soon as he saw the smile vanish from her face. Obviously the words from that night hadn't been forgotten, and a thin layer of tension replaced the previous jovial mood.

* * *

After another harmless turned uncomfortable exchange between them, Jane had retreated inside; adamant to talk to the bar tender claiming those at the bar knew all. Lisbon was left outside to continue the 'mingling' avenue of the operation, but ultimately felt uncomfortable. She was wearing a black bikini and trying to look as casual as possible, but this wasn't the most natural setting for her. She felt self-conscious and very out of place among the leggy blondes who seemed to be everywhere.

She thought to Jane's 'talk' with the gossiping women and remembered how easily he had gotten them to include him. Lisbon was not blind to the fact that Jane was a very attractive man, in fact her eyes often lingered to long when he was in her eye line, but it baffled her how easy women like that could be manipulated and forget their own names when an attractive man came into view. She had successfully resisted Jane's charms, most due to the fact that whenever he was usually pulling the charm on her it was to manipulate her into one of his schemes or pull her off the scent of a plan he had cooked up. But, she also knew that giving into his charms would lead nowhere. The ring on his left hand made that evident. Despite his recent indiscretions with Lorelei and his slip of the tongue when he shot her, Lisbon knew, emotionally, he was unavailable, and wasn't sure he would ever be a 'single man'.

Even with his constant flirting and banter with widows or other female suspects, she knew that it was just his desperate attempt to forget and remain unattainable. However, regardless of the many times she ignored his charm and occasional flirting, she had managed to care deeply for him. She wouldn't go as far as labelling it, that would just make it harder to live with, but she knew that his absent six months had cemented a fact she had been resisting. She found it very difficult to be without him and if he eventually did move on, without her, she would face a whole lot more than sleepless nights.

Pulling herself out of her thoughts Lisbon tried to focus on the reason she was being assaulted by the harsh sun, she was supposed to be gathering information. _Subtly_, as Jane had put it. She took a deep breath and stood up, striving to prove to Jane that she could charm people just as well as he could.

* * *

"We have Harry the waiter, according to my new friend Jarred, he used to have a little problem with coke. He almost lost his job, but the manager kept him on a trial basis. There's that receptionist Rachel, apparently she spent six months in juvie when she was fifteen, but "turned her life around" and is married to some guy called Kieran. And then there's the security guy, Matthew, as straight as they come, became head of security when he came to work here eighteen months ago after four years of unemployment. Married, three kids, nothing out of the ordinary," Jane and Lisbon were back in their hotel room sitting on the bed, playing cards while Jane told Lisbon what he had managed to coax from the bar tender Jarred.

"How on earth did you get him to spill all that?" Lisbon focused on the game in front of her, not wanting to miss any shifty moves she was sure Jane was waiting to employ.

"What can I say, I can be very persuasive, and apparently I have a very trusting face," He smiled, noticing the look of concentration on her face, intently keeping an eye on his hands as he moved his cards around in his palm.

"You better not be trying to cheat," Lisbon looked up at him giving him her best glare.

"Of course not, why would you think I would do something so dishonest," he smiled turning his face back down to look at the cards she had played. Whether or not she would believe him, for one of the first times in his life he was playing without attempting any trickery. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he had no desire to win by his methods, and was more than happy to let Lisbon win fair and square.

"Because that's what you always do when you have the opportunity to win something. Anyway, what you're saying is that we have three staff members, other than your buddy Jarred who were here all the nights of the murders. Was there anyone else?" Lisbon made her next move, smiling slightly when she noticed she was currently winning this round.

"Well, there's the guests of course, but also the entertainment manager, Brian Doyle, but according to Jarred, he is a big softy and wouldn't hurt a fly."

"Didn't Jarred get suspicious when you were essentially questioning him?"

"Not really, I just told him I had read about them and I am a psychologist and can't help being curious. Bar tenders are a lot like psychologists, they hear things people don't tell others, and they just feel the need to pass that onto others." Jane told her. They were getting to the end of the current game they were playing, so Lisbon didn't reply, trying to concentrate so she could focus on continuing the lead she currently held. She was enjoying the fact that they had been in each other's company for hours now and things felt normal. The usual banter was present and the awkwardness from the previous weeks was almost non-existent.

As they finished their current hand, Lisbon winning, Jane's phone rang and he answered it, speaking in hushed tones when he realised who it was. Lisbon was on alert whenever he looked like this, it unnerved her when he went quiet, nothing good ever came from that. Jane ended the call and returned to the bed.

"Who was that? Your secret admirer," Lisbon smiled at him but became wary when he didn't return the expression.

"I asked for the prison on daily updates on Lorelei. A guard was just answering my request," he said awkwardly. Anytime Red John's girl was mentioned a thick tension returned and he knew that was the end of the card game and there wouldn't be any more words exchanged for the rest of the evening.

"Oh, right," Lisbon's face showed her anguish, mixed with sadness. She excused herself to the bathroom to take a shower and Jane packed up the cards and went to lie on the couch. He sighed deeply, wondering when this avoidance would end. He hoped it would be soon, because he definitely didn't want to have Lisbon go quiet on him anytime Red John came into the picture. He closed his eyes listening to the shower, trying to will away any terrors that would face him when he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry for the long wait, uni work got in the way. Thanks so much for the reviews, they make me so happy to receive, I love knowing people are enjoying what I write. Hopefully the next part won't take as long. Enjoy and please let me know what you think!**

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Jane was woken from his light doze by the sound of sheets rustling. Pulling himself up from the couch, he saw Lisbon moving in the bed on the other side of the room. He moved over to where she was and when he got closer he saw her moving around with a slightly pained expression on her face and he could hear her mumbling something in her sleep. He could tell that whatever was in her thoughts was causing her discomfort and not wanting to see her in any pain he lightly touched her shoulder to try and rouse her from her unpleasant slumber. She woke almost immediately, proving she wasn't in a deep sleep, and looked a little confused when she saw Jane standing over her.

"What?" she asked her voice laced with fatigue. Obviously, she didn't want to believe he had witnessed her mid-nightmare.

"You looked like you were having a nightmare, so I woke you up," he said kneeling down beside the bed so his face was level with hers.

"Oh, that was nothing, I'm sorry if I woke you," Jane could tell she was lying and was shifting uncomfortably on the bed hoping he would drop the subject. But, unfortunately for her, he wasn't going to leave her until she opened up to him. He knew this was slightly hypocritical, but he knew he still needed to prove himself, and he thought he could do that by showing he cared.

"I know you're lying and I wasn't asleep, so come on, tell me what was bothering you," he could see she was reluctant, but he was determined to try and help her. When he saw her trying to push him away he lifted his hand and tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear. She looked at him with a hint of surprise on her face, she hadn't been expecting this small flash of intimacy, maybe that was what had made her open up to him.

"I was just seeing you leave like you did six months ago. Except this time you called me to come to help you, but when I got there I was too late. He...he'd got there before me and taken you away," her voice waivered toward the end and he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He stroked her cheek with his thumb, wanting to do more, but didn't want to push her away. He'd had similar nightmares before and he knew how realistic they could be.

"I'm so sorry. But, I'm here, he hasn't gotten me and if I can help it he never will." Jane's hand had moved through her hair to the back of her neck. He was trying to comfort the best way he could think of, but when he noticed her tears falling more and more he felt like he wasn't doing enough. Not wanting to feel like he was intruding in her personal space he pulled his hand away from her neck and began to leave her alone.

As he stood up he felt her hand grip his wrist and heard her mumble 'stay' while she pulled him down. He kneeled beside the bed once more, but as soon as he did he saw her move towards the centre of the bed and tug on his arm, asking him to lie beside her. His first thoughts drifted to how uncomfortable this could be in the morning, but he could tell by her face that she wanted him there and there was nothing stopping him from granting her wish.

Lisbon relaxed once he was next to her and began drifting off, but she had turned onto her side facing him and now held his wrist with both hands, almost as if she was worried he would leave if she let go.

* * *

Lisbon almost thought she had dreamt the moment with Jane because when she woke he was nowhere to be seen. But it was the scent on the pillow her head was currently resting on that proved that it had in fact happened, and he had conveniently removed himself before she woke. Now more aware of her surroundings she could hear the shower running and guessed the loss of warmth had woken her. She stretched and thought about what had happened the night before or more accurately earlier that morning.

She found she was disappointed that he had left, despite the fact it would have been incredibly awkward, but after only half a night she found she has become accustomed to him next to her and missed him. Lisbon knew this would be an incredibly difficult subject to navigate. If the last time she tried to mention something remotely intimate was anything to go by, she expected Jane was going to avoid it. She heard the shower stop and a few minutes later he was stepping out of the bathroom fully clothed.

"All yours," he gave her a grin, which all but told her he wasn't going to broach the subject for now. Groaning slightly she got out of the bed, grabbed her clothes and stepped into the still steam filled bathroom. She just hoped he wouldn't wander off and avoid her like he did whenever she seemed to have something to discuss with him.

* * *

They made their way to the dining room for lunch, after spending the morning out per Jane's request. While they were trying to maintain a low profile at the hotel, Lisbon had decided they needed to be involved in some capacity if they were going to figure out who the killer was. Jane led her to a table in the middle of the room, telling her it would be the perfect place for them to observe. What they didn't anticipate was another couple to spot the half empty they were sitting at and deciding to try and socialise with them.

"Do you mind? None of the other tables have enough room for the both of us," the man was the first to talk, and not wanting to be rude Jane motioned their ok.

"Thanks, we haven't been downstairs for lunch before, so we didn't know it filled up so quickly," the woman then spoke as the couple sat in the two empty seats. "My name is Jennifer Kelly, and this is my husband Nicholas," she was overly enthusiastic for Lisbon's liking and she left the introductions up to Jane.

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Daniel Shaw and this is my wife Emma. So where are you guys from?" Lisbon was happy for Jane's ability to be comfortably in any social situation. Not that she was completely socially inept, she wasn't used to really talking to people who weren't murder suspects or grieving families.

"Oh, we're from Phoenix, in town for a friend's birthday. What about you?" The woman, Jennifer answered and it looked like she was the most talkative of the group.

"Wow, that's long way. We're from LA; I've got a conference in town." It occurred to the two of them then, that if anyone was paying close attention to their schedule they would need to leave the hotel at some point for his 'conference'.

"What is it you do?" it was Nicholas who spoke this time, joining into the conversation. Lisbon knew Jane would remember his cover but this inquiry had her trying to remember what her occupation was in case the question was turned onto her.

"I'm a psychologist and Emma here is a community college teacher," Lisbon let out a quick sigh of relief when she realised Jane must have noticed the panic on her face.

"Oh, how nice. I'm just a boring receptionist and Nick works in construction," Jennifer replied sipping from the water that was in front of her. Thankfully their conversation was interrupted by the sound of Lisbon's phone, she didn't want to engage in the conversation and knew Jane was more than happy to talk to strangers and see if he could figure them out.

"Sorry, I have to take this." Lisbon left the table and went to a secluded corner of the hotel to take the call. Noticing it was Grace, or Emily as Jane had decided her cover would be, she hoped they had some developments in the case. "Hey, what's up?"

"Hey, boss. How's the hotel going? Jane making it unbearable?" Grace seemed interested only in what her two colleagues were doing away from the office. Lisbon rolled her eyes, wondering why she hadn't expected that.

"It's fine, hotel's nice and he's behaving. Do you have anything for me?"

"Oh, Cho just told me to let you know we have pretty much narrowed it down to three suspects. Harry Armitage, he's one of the waiters, a couple of prior drug offences and was working all the nights the murders took place. Rachel Cloke, you know the receptionist, six months in juvie, but her file doesn't say what for. And Matthew Hurt, head of security, so he has access to all the cameras. There was only one other guy there all three nights Brian Doyle, apparently he's a professional party planner, but he doesn't have any priors. Other than that we are still going through statements from some of the guests, but still found no link between victims, other than when they were at the hotel they were basically hermits. No one had noticed tem while they were there and didn't notice when they disappeared."

Lisbon sighed in frustration. So far they had nothing, which didn't give her much hope for leaving this assignment any time soon. "Thanks, keep up the good work and you let us know if you find anything and we'll do the same. Bye." As she hung up she shoved the phone back in her pocket roughly and made her way back to the dining room where she saw Jane entertaining the other couple.

"Sorry about that, did I miss much?" Lisbon had plastered a smile on her face to hide her frustration but she knew Jane had noticed. As she sat down Jane grabbed her hand on top of the table. Jennifer was the one to fill her in.

"Oh, just your husband telling us how you met. Did you really meet on a rollercoaster after he threw up on you?" Lisbon looked over at Jane and saw him grinning and motioning for her to go with it.

"Yes, pretty gross isn't it. But, he spent all his time trying to make it up to me and I guess it went from there," a genuine smile was on Lisbon's face now, smiling at the ridiculous story Jane had decided upon.

"Yep, I wouldn't leave her alone and eventually I convinced her to join me for dinner to make up for it and here we are," as he finished he leant over to Lisbon and gave her a kiss on the cheek and squeezed he hand. "Who was on the phone?" he said, asking her what he wanted to since she left the table.

"Oh, that was just Emily, letting me know the filling in for my classes was going well. She didn't really say much, just that she was holding down the fort," Lisbon hoped Jane would get the hint, that nothing of importance had been found and she noticed the slight disappointed look on his face. He then turned back to the couple with them, trying to charm them with his skills. A waiter finally came up to them and she saw by the name badge it was one of their suspects, Harry. She hoped the squeezing of his hand and look in her eyes would tell Jane he was one to look at. As he took their orders Jane observed him and when he left the table shook his head. He wasn't the one, she was even more frustrated now, one down, two to go.


	6. Chapter 6

**I know, I know I am a horrible person for taking this long to update. I want to thank you for your patience and your reviews and alerts, they mean the world! Hopefully I can earn your forgiveness with this chapter. Pure fluff, because I felt like it. **

**Enjoy, and I love hearing what you think :)**

* * *

Jane and Lisbon spent the rest of the day trying to track down ways the victims could have been taken from the hotel without being seen. They were also theorizing about whether the killer, killed the victim before leaving the hotel or waited until they were outside. Unfortunately and unusually the hallways had many blind spots the any of the staff would have been able to figure out, and due to that it was difficult to figure out the exact sequence of events.

Both were very aware of the fact that going by the current timeline, if killer was planning on taking another victim it would most likely be tonight. They had been trying their best to attract the attention of whoever the killer was by acting in a similar manner to the previous victims. They had been remaining separated from the hotel 'activities' as the other victims had, well as much as they could without completely wasting time and not doing some investigating.

That night they ordered room service and played cards as they had done the previous night. Both of them were anxious about the possibility of them being the next victims. They were avoiding the possibility that they could be the next ones the killer preyed upon, and as they didn't have all have the fact on the murder, they didn't even know whether they'd be able to get away if the time came. As it got later they each became more and more apprehensive about their possible attack, with both of them wanting to remain as close to each other as possible. Lisbon was the first to break the silence they had maintained that evening.

"We should probably try and get some sleep. We don't want to be tired if the killer does come, we'll need all the energy we can get." Lisbon began to pack up the cards and go about her nightly routine, while Jane remained sitting on the bed trying to formulate into words the thoughts running through his head. Abruptly he began to speak.

"I think we should both take the bed tonight." He watched as Lisbon's head whipped around to look at him with confusion.

"What?"

"I said, I think we should both sleep in the bed tonight. And before you start to argue here's why. The killer assumes we are a couple, right? So, if I'm sleeping on the couch, there is a strong possibility that our cover may be blown and we won't have a chance to catch him. Ergo, we should both be in the bed if the killer happens to come."

Both of them were very aware that Jane's explanation was inaccurate; they probably still could catch the guy even if they blew their cover, but they both felt like they needed the close presence of the other, and didn't want to make things awkward. So, with Lisbon's nod of approval, Jane grabbed the pillow he had been using from the couch and settled on 'his' side of the bed. He watched Lisbon as she finished in the bathroom, and didn't take his eyes off her until she had turned off the light and was settled next to him. He was overwhelmed by her scent; one that he had discovered could calm him at any moment. He wasn't oblivious to the tension still between them and was well aware that he was the cause of most of it, so on the slight chance they were the killer's next targets he knew there was something he had to get off his chest. Just in case he didn't have the chance later.

"You know Lisbon there is something I want you to know, just in case we do get taken tonight. I want you to know I remember everything I ever say, even when I deny it. And I need you to know I meant it," he let out a shallow breath; his heart was pounding worried about what she would say or do in return. When he heard her shifting he was worried she was going to hit him in the nose. But, it was when he felt something tickling his cheek he held his breath. He felt her soft warm lips press against his cheek and let out the breath he was holding. Her hand slid down his arm, grabbed his fingers and gave them a squeeze of reassurance.

"I know. Me too." Jane knew enough that her words meant she was, in her own way, returning his declaration from months earlier. He felt the corners of his mouth tilt up until a huge grin was on his face, which was made even larger when he felt Lisbon place her head in his shoulder, her hand still grasping his fingers. He turned his head slightly so his nose was in her hair, taking in a scent that soothed him completely.

This moment was one they would both remember, and they both hoped it wouldn't be the last like this, but with the current uncertainty with this case, neither of them were going to waste this seemingly precious moment in time.


	7. Chapter 7

**Another update so soon, I know it's a miracle. Thanks for the reviews on the last chapter, I would love to see more but to those who left one, I thank you, I really appreciate them. A little bit of case stuff in this one, not a lot, but my shipper side took over. Hope you enjoy this and please let me know what you think.**

* * *

They were woken by the sound of Lisbon's cell phone and a soft but persistent knocking on their door. Jane looked at the small alarm clock next to the bed and saw it was 10:30; they had both slept a lot longer than they usually did. But, he was happy to note that both of them were still in the room, they hadn't yet fallen victim to their killer. While Lisbon woke herself up enough to answer her phone, which she noticed now had multiple missed calls; Jane went to see who was trying to get their attention on the other side of the door.

"Lisbon."

"Hey, Boss. Didn't want to wake you, but I wanted to let you know the killer struck again last night. This time he's killed two, but other than that same M.O. and they were found in the same place. No I.D's but we checked with the hotel staff this morning and they were able to identify them. Nicholas and Jennifer Kelly, mid-30's, he was a construction worker, she was..." Before Cho could continue his monologue Lisbon interrupted.

"A receptionist."

"Yes, how did you know?" You wouldn't know from the lack of change in his voice, but Cho was surprised by Lisbon's knowledge.

"We actually spoke to them yesterday at lunch. They were telling us they were in town for a birthday party and now that I think of it they fit the killer's M.O. They said yesterday was the first time they had really ventured out, so it's not surprising that our killer took a look at them." While she was not one to let herself sympathise too much with the victim, her job would be too difficult if she did, she couldn't help but feel a little sadness upon hearing that the perfectly lovely couple they had been talking to were now victims.

"Sorry, Boss. I've sent Van Pelt and Rigsby to the hotel, they should be there by now, they'll question the staff again, check out the security cameras and have a look around the vic's room and see if the killer accidently left anything that could give us a clue as to what happened." As always Cho was to the point and left no room for sentiment. Lisbon noticed then that Jane was standing in front of her waiting for her to end the call.

"Ok, keep up the good work. Call us if you find anything, and we'll let you know if we can get anything from here." She ended the call and instantly felt the awkwardness they had put on hold while answering the phone and the door. In a bid to avoid the conversation the two needed to have, Lisbon questioned Jane about their mystery knocker.

"Oh, it was one of the managers, telling us the police will probably want to talk to us about the latest murder, which I assume you have just heard about from Cho."

"Yeah, he said Van Pelt and Rigsby should be here. He also said the victims were Nicholas and Jennifer, the couple we had lunch with yesterday." Lisbon thought she noticed a very minute flash off sadness wash over Jane's face before he covered it up.

"That makes sense; they were unknowingly behaving in a similar manner to the previous victims. Although I find it interesting that the killer took two victims this time instead of one. Maybe he's become more confident." As he spoke, Jane made his way over to the kitchenette and turned the kettle on to make tea.

"Cho said everything else was the same, so you're probably right, maybe he is more confident, or he had no other choice than to kill both of them. They looked like the type to never be apart; perhaps he couldn't get either of them on their own so he had to take both."

"Probably," Jane replied absentmindedly as he made his tea. "I told the manager that we would be down in half an hour to talk to Rigsby and Grace, so you might want to grab a shower before we go. You go first; I'll have my turn after you." With those words Jane went to the couch and turned on the television to some news program. Lisbon didn't bother to reply; she grabbed some clothes and entered the bathroom. It seemed they weren't going to broach the subject of the shared bed or declarations at the moment.

* * *

After briefly speaking to Van Pelt and Rigsby about 'anything they had seen' they decided to once again stakeout the pool as they had done a couple of days ago. It seemed the most happened around there and Jane was convinced that if anyone knew anything they would be gossiping pool side. Jane noticed the women he had spoken to a few days ago and he saw them narrow their eyes in Lisbon's direction before talking amongst themselves, giggling and looking in his direction every so often.

They had found two empty pool lounges next to each other and decided to make that their base for the day. Jane watched as Lisbon arranged herself on the lounge. He knew he shouldn't stare, but he honestly couldn't help it. To the untrained eye she looked perfectly relaxed and happy to be outside, soaking up the California sun.

But, he of course knew better. Her body language told him she felt guilty. Guilty that Nicholas and Jennifer had been taken right under their noses. Guilty that they still hadn't stopped the killer. Guilty that she hadn't been killed instead. And even more than the others, guilty that despite all the other guilt, she wanted to know what last night meant and how they would move forward and whether anything would change.

Deciding to deal with the case related guilt first he reached over, grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss to her palm. Still holding her hand in his she watched as she looked at him, curiosity all over her face.

"This isn't your fault." He squeezed her hand, hoping she would believe what he said. She felt pressure from her hand, gripping his, almost as if she was afraid he'd disappear.

"I know." She told him, but her eyes said she still felt responsible.

They didn't investigate that day, silently agreeing to wait to see if the team could dig up anything first.

* * *

Once again their night was quiet. Despite the recent murder, they still wanted to try and make themselves targets, as at the moment that seemed like the only way to find the killer. They were avoiding other guests again, not wanting to make a personal connection with any possible victim again. Both of them weren't sure if they could take it if another person they spoke to met the same fate as the current victims.

It was getting late, and while Jane wanted to mimic their sleeping arrangements from the night before, he was well aware that he probably wouldn't be able to persuade Lisbon again. That was why he was surprised when Lisbon tugged on his arm when he made his way to the couch to sleep. Not wanting to risk questioning her Jane went along and found himself once again in bed with Lisbon. But, this time it was different. There wasn't the same awkwardness there was the previous night. No need for talk. A new closeness was now present.

Lying on 'his' side, trying to keep a gentlemanly distance, he was pleasantly surprised when he felt Lisbon's arm around his waist and felt her breath close to his face. He was completely floored when he felt her warm, soft lips press against his for one short moment. He didn't have any time to respond before she laid her head on his chest, her arm pressing even tighter around his waist.

He knew that saying anything could potentially scare her off; that was the last thing he wanted to do. He kept to their unspoken agreement of not questioning things between them. He settled by putting his arm around her, pulling her tightly to his chest, kissing her head. He felt himself drift off to sleep, thinking that if he had known sleeping next to Lisbon would cure his insomnia, he would have done it ages ago.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hello my readers! Let me just tell you how fantastic your reviews and alerts have been! Seeing the emails make me smile without fail! Anyway, I am tantalisingly close to fifty reviews on this story and you getting me there would be an absolute joy, so keep that in mind! :)**

**Here's the next chapter, hope you enjoy it and please remember I love hearing what you think!**

* * *

Lisbon and woke the next morning content and well-rested, that was until she remembered the couple killed the day before and her guilt came flooding back. She could feel Jane's arms tighten around her waist as she shifted into a more comfortable position. She felt slightly happy at that moment, safe in Jane's arms and away from the harsh reality that was the reason they were there. Her thoughts drifted to Nicholas and Jennifer, the young couple mercilessly killed. She felt they had been taken in her place and she should be the one loved ones should be grieving over.

Logically, she knew it wasn't her fault, she shouldn't feel guilty. However, this didn't dismiss the fact that she felt responsible for not closing the case yet, for not figuring out who was taking these innocent people. Sighing she tried to stop her mind from thinking, but the gears in her head wouldn't cease.

"Shh, I can here you thinking, it woke me up." Lisbon flinched slightly at Jane's voice; despite his constant insomnia she thought he was asleep.

"You cannot. And I can't help it. We need to catch this guy, or at least make ourselves the target so no one else is killed." Lisbon was staring at the ceiling in the hopes that looking long enough would force her to have an epiphany. Jane shifted next to her, taking a similar position to herself, his arms were gone from her waist, but his right hand was holding her left.

"This isn't your fault, it's whoever the killer is. You didn't ask for them to be next, the killer decided to make them so. Don't beat yourself up about this. All we can do is work even harder now to make sure the pattern doesn't continue repeating." As he finished, Jane pulled their joined hands to his lips and kissed the top of her hand, trying what he could to reassure her.

"I guess you could be right."

"Yes, I am always right, now it's still early, try to get some more sleep so you'll be on your A-game today." Lisbon nodded and shifted to lay on her side, her back to Jane. Just as she felt herself drifting off, she felt his arms snake around her waist again. He lightly kissed the back of her neck and left his head in the crook of her shoulder. She knew he wouldn't be sleeping again that morning, but felt touched by the fact that he was going to remain next to her while she slept.

* * *

"Tea?" Jane was in there small hotel room kitchenette, trying to perfect his tea with the little resources the hotel offered.

"Just water please." Lisbon was on the couch, hunched over a small coffee table in front of her; her laptop and various case files strewn over the table.

"Coming right up," Jane tested his tea, grimacing slightly at that abnormal taste of this foreign tea; this was definitely not the tea he liked. Grabbing a bottle of water from the small fridge he made his way over to Lisbon.

"So, we have at least four main suspects; the waiter Harry Armitage, the receptionist Rachel Cloke, and the security guy Matthew Hurt. The problem is, only two of them have prior offences but the other two have no alibis whatsoever and are more than capable to commit the murders. There's also the possibility that two of them are in cahoots with each other, and that could explain how all the victims make it out of the hotel without anyone batting an eyelid. What do you think?" The two had decided to stay in the room that day and go over all they knew and possibly bounce some ideas off each other. It was Jane's idea; he desperately wanted a break in the case, even if it was just so Lisbon would stop feeling so guilty.

"Well, from what I could tell when I spoke to her, Rachel isn't the killer. One; she clearly is trying to make up for the mistakes she made in her youth and wouldn't risk being incarcerated again. Two; it says in her sealed record that she was done for theft, nothing to do with drugs. And three; the killer would have probably need considerable strength to get the victims out, unless she had help, but one and two kind of rule that out." He grinned and took a sip of his inferior tea. Lisbon rolled her eyes at his confidence, knowing unfortunately for his ego, he was probably right."

"So that's one down. I personally can't see it being the security guy. He may be head of security and able to turn off and manipulate cameras, but he doesn't seem the type. He's married, three kids, the most he has against his name are a couple of minor parking and speeding fines, nothing earth shattering. I very much doubt that he had anything to do with this." Lisbon reached for the water Jane had brought back for her and watched as Jane casually flipped through one of the files from the table.

"In this case my dear Lisbon, I think you are also correct, he does have that killer vibe, I think his only crime is being outsmarted by someone who messed with his security cameras." Lisbon smiled at Jane's words; she did love when he said she was right.

"Then we're left with Harry, the waiter. He has been charged with drug offences before, which could explain the cocaine in the victims' throat. But once again other than the drug charges, he has been clean and from what I can tell has no reason to kill. Which would mean we are back to square one." Lisbon sighed and leaned against the back of the couch looking over at Jane who still held the case file and looked like he was in deep thought. Lisbon's stomach grumbled which broke the silence, and with Jane lost in his own thoughts she decided to order room service as it was now bordering on 2 o'clock and they hadn't eaten lunch yet.

* * *

It was half an hour later, a sandwich eaten by each of them and complete silence from both of them that Jane finally landed on something.

"Aha, what if the killer is a member of staff, but it wasn't someone who was rostered on any of the nights. They could have easily said they were picking up something if they were noticed, if anyone saw them at all. But, they probably would have needed an entry card of some sort to get in the back, which I assume is how the killer got the victims' out. We should have Van Pelt check the entry logs for all of the days. See if anyone came in when it wasn't their shift; maybe that will give us the killer."

Jane felt proud of himself then, standing up to make another cup of tea despite the unnatural taste this tea had. Lisbon looked around in question as he moved to the kitchenette.

"It took you 40 minutes to come up with that?"

"Now, now Lisbon, brilliance takes time, if I am right you'll be thanking me later," he grinned at her turning back to his tea, but a moment later he felt what he thought was balled up rubbish, hit him in the back of the head, which he knew came from Lisbon's direction. Finishing his tea and looking back at the couch, he grinned again seeing Lisbon slumped on the couch her arms folded with a look of annoyance present on her face.

Despite anything each of them had said over the last few days, he still did love irritating her, and witnessing the aftermath, to him, was one of life's small pleasures.


	9. Chapter 9

**You made it to 50 reviews! You don't understand how happy that made me. And all your reviews were fantastic to read, so glad you're enjoying this. Here's the next chapter, hope you like it and remember I love hearing what you think! :)**

"Cho said they checked out the logs for the staff entry cards, and three different cards for staff not on duty those nights were activated. That means our killer has swiped cards from staff members they knew weren't rostered on and used them to get around. Cho's going to send Van Pelt and Rigsby over to ask whether any of the staff in question noticed their cards missing and when they noticed. Unfortunately for us the killer is covering his bases, and making it almost impossible for us to find them. Also, Van Pelt finished going through the security tapes from the cameras that were still working and all our three suspects were accounted for the whole time, which brings us back to nothing." Lisbon grunted in frustration as she relayed their new information to Jane who was sitting next to her on the hotel couch.

"That is a little inconvenient, but look, my brilliant thinking has helped us narrow down the suspect pool."

"It's not helpful when we are now down to no one. There's nothing we can look into now, all our suspects are cleared, so now it's just a case of waiting it out and hoping the killer comes eventually." Lisbon stood up from the couch to make herself a coffee; if she was going to be stressed over this she needed caffeine. Out of habit she also began making tea for Jane, a small gesture that made Jane's heart warm. He chose that moment to walk over to where Lisbon was making their drinks and snaked his arms around her waist. This was something different for them, so far any intimate touching occurred at night when they were both willing to choose sleep over discussion, but Jane's bold move spoke volumes about his comfort and intentions towards her. He was relieved when he felt her relax at his touch and let out a soft sigh when he placed his chin on her shoulder.

He was happy to see she wasn't putting up any protest, and hoped that when the case was over they would have a proper discussion about their feelings and this new arrangement would be permanent. Jane reluctantly let her go when she had finished making their drinks, which had them both returning to the couch to see what they could try and dig up.

* * *

They mixed their routine up that night and chose to dine in the restaurant downstairs at dinner. Lisbon and Jane both decided that they needed to try and get a good sense of the staff, as it was that all the staff were suspects. Jane managed to convince Lisbon to dress up a little for their trek downstairs, citing that they would fit in more if they were in slightly formal attire.

"Ok Jane, do your thing. Observe, pry, whatever it is you do. Just try and look out for a viable suspect. Then we can get a name and check them out, we need something," Lisbon whispered in his ear as they made it to the dining room. Luckily, it was a Saturday night, which made the dining room slightly less crowded with many guests having a night out on the town; this made it slightly easier for Jane to get a cold read on more of the staff.

"That I will do Lisbon, have I ever let you down before?" He flashed her one of his charming smiles and led her towards a table in the corner, which he decided in this crowd, was the best vantage point.

"Well, don't start now. Also while you analyse the hell out of everyone, try to remain detached, the killer is going for people who don't socialize much. Luring the killer out using ourselves as bait may be our only option, so we have to try and get their attention."

"Alright, as long as you promise the killer won't actually kill us, I am completely on board with that plan."

"Cho also say they got us a psychological profile on the killer, said it was most likely a male in a more female-oriented occupation. They said most likely lives alone, strong attachment to his mother, which would explain feminine traits including the more 'feminine' way of killing with asphyxiation, rather than something bloody."

"Ah, Lisbon, piece of cake, I can already point out about four people in this room exactly like that. Although, none of them are the killer."

"Great Jane, focus on the ones who could be our guy, then I will be very happy with you."

Their meal passed in very light conversation, neither of them wanted to blow their 'non-socializing' facade, and were avoiding getting brought into conversation with the staff. This was also a way of Jane being able to concentrate on trying to pick out some people that could possibly fit the role of their killer. Unfortunately Jane only managed to pick out a few staff members, none of which he suspected of murder, but he didn't tell Lisbon yet, not wanting to make her even more frustrated. When they finished eating Lisbon decided they would retire back to their room early, to help in gaining the attention of the killer. Lisbon grabbed the small purse she had brought down with her to pay for her meal, but was stopped by Jane.

"Jane, I'm going to pay for my meal. This is not a date."

"It could be."

"I don't want this to be a date, trying to lure a killer is not really what I would classify as romantic," as Lisbon said this, she realised this was the most either of them had said regarding this weird unspoken relationship they had fallen into.

"Well, my dear, I promise, once we escape and catch the killer, I will take you out properly, and you won't be paying a cent." Jane felt excited about this new step forward, and was happy to note the lack of awkwardness he had expected.

"It's a deal then." Lisbon smiled at him as she placed some bills on the table and stood up to begin to leave. Jane followed suit pulling out some cash and a considerably large tip and surprised Lisbon by winding his arm around her waist and leading her back towards their room.

* * *

As they had been a couple of nights before, they were dreading the idea that another victim could be preyed upon that night. If the killer once again followed their system, a new victim would appear in the morning. However, there were mixed feelings regarding this. While both Lisbon and Jane didn't want to see another innocent person killed, they were both hoping they wouldn't be the ones attacked that night. Selfishly they both wanted to prolong their stay at the hotel a little longer, to avoid the inevitable awkwardness that would come once they left the walls of the hotel.

Each of them knew this was wrong, but couldn't help wishing the killer didn't strike, or if he did, he didn't come through their door that night.


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry about the wait, had a bit of writer's block. But, thanks for your reviews and follows, they mean a lot. Slightly different start to this chapter than the others, thought I would try something different. Bit of a filler chapter, but hopefully I will have the next one up soon. Enjoy and please let me know what you think.**

* * *

I sat in the dark apartment, feeling like a failure. Once again I had been defied, they had ignored me. But, just before their punishment could be given they left. It wasn't enough to disrespect me, but then they disappeared and refused to face what they deserved.

That meant the police wouldn't see my next masterpiece yet, they are stripped of seeing my finest work; that is the true tragedy.

Nevertheless, I have the next muses in my sights. Another couple. Couples were much more exciting after the first. The next ones had been the most disrespectful of all, openly disregarding my hard work. They didn't know it but I have been watching them, I see their ignorance, they think they are superior. But, I can see the truth, their arrogance and disregard cannot be tolerated.

They are next. The blonde with the curls and the brunette with the piercing green eyes. They will be my greatest success. This will be remembered.

* * *

Once again the consultant and the agent woke in the now familiar hotel room; both equally thankful that they were still both safe. It felt normal now for them to wake up in each other's personal space, which left them both to wonder, if they got out of this unscathed, how would things be when things went back to normal. Would they actually talk about what they were doing? They had tentatively agreed last night that they would go on a date when this was over, but would they go further than that? Would they discuss the underlying doubts each of them had or would this be another thing they avoided talking about?

They each knew that if they avoided the subject their doubts would ultimately take over and destroy whatever they currently had going, something they knew would devastate them. Unaware of Lisbon's similar thoughts, Jane pulled her against his chest, reasoning that if he stuffed things up when they were back in the real world he needed happy moments to remember in his loneliness. He knew that if he couldn't have Lisbon he wouldn't be content or feel comfortable with anyone else, she was the person he could remove his ring for, which would be a big step for him.

Similarly, Lisbon believed Jane was her last shot at some form of happiness; she thought that if he didn't want to be with her, then she would probably remain alone as she had been for years. This was why she was still feeling anxious about fully committing herself to whatever bizarre relationship they were currently conducting. She didn't want to give herself completely until she knew it was a long term thing rather than a whim that was for the purposes of the case. Unfortunately given Jane's track record, he could turn on her any minute claiming it was all a charade. And she knew that might just break her heart.

Both were pulled from their thoughts by Lisbon's phone, each dreading the possibility of another victim being taken overnight. After a few sounds of agreement and brief orders, Lisbon had ended the call.

"That was Grace. There have been no new victims, and no one missing from the hotel which could mean the killer has finished or they weren't able to find an intended target. The guys are going to come here today and finish off some staff interviews, hopefully get a sense of which staff members are less desirable than others. And Grace is going to continue double checking all of the staff's backgrounds and see if there is anything that could give us a possible lead."

As Lisbon spoke she gathered up clean clothes to change into, deciding it was time to get ready for the day. She watched as the cogs whirred in Jane's head, most likely trying to formulate a plan that could unmask their mystery killer and get them back home. She knew he would be unresponsive for a while as he thought and took the opportunity to use the bathroom before him.

* * *

Jane had been unusually quiet for the rest of the morning, still trying to organise his thoughts and decipher who the killer was and more importantly how they could catch them. He had formulated then eliminated what seemed like hundreds of plans so far, none seemed like they would work or would be enough to uncover the murderer. Most of his thinking occurred on the couch in their hotel room drinking tea, while Lisbon was outside seeing if there was anything she could pick up from conversations between staff. She knew eavesdropping was wrong, but she was becoming desperate.

Lisbon noticed when Cho and Rigsby arrived once again to talk to the staff, giving them a discrete nod when they saw her. She was finding it increasingly difficult to be cooped up in the hotel, unable to actively involve herself in the case and work with her team. She would make sure she didn't go undercover again for a long time if this was how unproductive it eventually became. Deciding she wasn't finding anything useful without Jane's eagle eye, she decided to go back to the room and see if Jane had been more successful.

She was nearly bowled over when she entered the room, when he saw her Jane ran up to her with excitement all over his face. He grabbed her shoulders placed a kiss to her lips and began to speak in very a very animated tone.

"I've done it Lisbon. I've figured out who it is and I figured out how the why and how. And I know how we can catch him." The look on his face rivalled that of a six-year-old, but his infectious excitement overcame Lisbon as he began to expel his discoveries.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey all. I didn't mean to leave this so long. Combination of finishing uni and pure laziness on my part. Really sorry. Hope their are still people reading and enjoying. Only a few chapters left to this one, hopefully won't take me too long. Please let me know what you think, your feedback is wonderful!**

Jane was proud of himself, he had finally managed to figure out who the killer was and had concocted a plan to trap him. His excitement was dampened slightly when Lisbon had disagreed, which wasn't unusual. But, as he usually did he eventually managed to persuade her, despite her protests. He spent the rest of the day on a high from his brilliance and set the first part of his plan into motion. His first objective was to anger the killer further and make absolutely certain that Lisbon and he were going to be his next targets.

While Lisbon hadn't been as excited as he was about his plan, Jane knew that she was eager to get home and ultimately knew this plan would get them there very, very soon. He'd of course noticed her cabin fever, in the last few days they hadn't left the hotel at all, mostly staying in their room for the majority of the day. This was why he had decided to take her for a night out on the town, which would not only give her some space from the hotel, but would also help in antagonizing their killer.

Getting her dressed up in something slightly more formal wasn't a challenge, but to get her to agree to go with him to an undisclosed location was a little more difficult.

"Lisbon, please," he begged.

"Just tell me where we're going Jane."

"No, that defeats the purpose of a surprise. Please trust me Lisbon." She rolled her eyes at his begging, but eventually gave in, the desire to be out of the hotel was too strong.

Jane ended up taking her to a small restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel. While she didn't want to inflate his ego, she knew this was exactly what she had needed, a night away from the hotel, the case and time to be able to relax without the fear that a killer was watching their every move. After dinner, Jane managed to drag her to a park around the corner from the restaurant, and even managed to hold her hand while they walked. Despite the pleasant evening, both of them couldn't help thinking about the targets hovering over their head. So far the killer had broken his own pattern which made it increasingly difficult to determine when he would strike. But, neither of them voiced their concerns, too content with the silence between them.

After returning to the hotel their nerves kicked in. While tonight wouldn't be a night the killer would normally take his victims, they were still wary, especially since Jane's plan wasn't going to be completely in place until the next night. As they had for the last few nights, Jane and Lisbon shared the double bed, holding each other and silently hoping that night wouldn't be _the _night.

* * *

Thankfully their sleep went undisturbed for the night and the final part of Jane's plan would be put into action. This involved Cho and Rigsby asking the killer for a witness statement regarding the night of the murders. Their job was not to accuse or antagonise him but make him feel like he had gotten away with his crimes. The next part involved Jane bad mouthing the killer and complaining to the hotel manager in front of a large gathering of guests, his purpose was to secure himself as the next victim for humiliating him.

Jane's next phase involved getting the support of the staff and head of security so Van Pelt, Rigsby and Cho would have access to cameras and discreetly have the room next to Jane and Lisbon's to be ready when the killer attacked. Jane thought his plan was simple, but Lisbon was still apprehensive.

"Jane what if he catches on and changes his mind? He may go after someone else, I don't want to have an innocent person's blood on my conscience."

"Relax Lisbon. He won't know, he is too self absorbed and narrow minded to notice what we have been putting into place. Besides he is too confident to doubt his abilities and doesn't feel like he can fail," Jane placed his hand on Lisbon's shoulder, trying to comfort her and when that didn't work he moved his hand to the back of her neck and kissed her softly, not worrying if any of the team were watching the cameras set up in their room. "Everything will be fine Lisbon, trust me."

* * *

I watched as he yelled. Said all those fictional, spiteful things. He rejected my ways, and now he has the audacity to complain. I saw them last night, sneak off like I wouldn't see them. The defiance from the two of them is astounding. But, my plan has fallen into place, the police are oblivious, and they don't know what's coming.

It's their own fault. They rejected my offers and their insolence has now cost them.

Tonight is the night. My greatest masterpiece. Fulfilled at last.


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks so much for your reviews, they are wonderful! Here's the next chapter, a short one, but I will hopefully have the next one up soon. Enjoy and please let me know what you think. **

* * *

She woke feeling exhausted and in pain. Her throat was burning and it felt like her legs were on fire. She managed to open her eyes for a second, but the fluorescent lights only added to her problems. Her head was pounding and her fingers felt stiff.

She managed to open her eyes once more and saw no one else with her. Worry set in and she began to panic, she heard machines beeping and loud voices before she felt something warm surround her and then all turned to black.

* * *

_The couple had managed to fall asleep in each other's arms after hours trying to remain awake and lucid. Sleep felt like a sweet release, no disturbing thoughts, the presence of the other was a barrier for the torture sleep usually brought._

_They were woken by slamming. The screeching of the door coming off its hinges, and falling to the floor. They were expecting him, but they hadn't expected his rapid change in demeanour. He looked angrier and was more violent than they had expected. _

_Every other night he had gone after his victims as quiet as a mouse. No one heard him coming, and no one saw him leave. This time was the final showdown. That was clear from his lack of caution. _

_He came at them before they had a chance to think. Their protective instincts overtaking, each trying to shield the other. _

_Unfortunately, he wouldn't be slowed._

_He dug into him with the knife he had in his left hand, trying to slash whatever he could reach. _

_The smell of blood was soon present. _

_Not long after that they heard the 'pops'. Three short, sharp bursts telling them he had been stopped._

_But, they had taken so long that the damage had already been done. _

_Fine, white powder filled the room. He had showered the two with his usual weapon of choice. _

_No one in the room spoke, except for the paramedics, trying their best to staunch the blood._

_There was too much of it. _

_They faded in and out for several minutes, before they both let the darkness overcome them, neither sure whether they would see light again._

* * *

The next time she woke she felt the sting of pain, but now it was much duller than before. She assumed they had upped her dosage after her little episode. Once again she tried to open her eyes. However, this was in vain as the lights once again felt like they burned. Once again she was alone.

She felt the familiar panic from earlier, but didn't pass out this time.

She tried to move her legs, but that was impossible. She managed to move her arms slowly, trying to move through the pain.

There was a dull ache on the inside of her right wrist. Turning her arm slightly she saw the pinkish wound.

A cross was etched into her wrist. Much the same as the victims.

She closed her eyes and the memories came flooding back. The pain was now explained.

But, why was she alone. Where were they?

Where was he?


	13. Chapter 13

**The next chapter is finally here. Sorry about the ridiculous wait. The next chapter will probably be the last. Thanks so much for the reviews, favourites and follows, they put a smile on my face. Hope you enjoy this chapter and let me know what you think!**

* * *

It had been twelve hours since the attack and he was still waiting for her to regain consciousness. A few times it seemed like she was coming to, but the moment quickly passed, and with each passing hour, he was more and more concerned. The doctors told him it was normal for some people to take a while to fully wake, but that did nothing to set his mind at ease.

After waiting another hour and a half, he saw her finally waking properly. He saw her scrunch her eyes shut again when the harsh light hit them. He saw her lifting her injured arm to cover her eyes. She shifted so she was partially sitting up. That's when she saw him.

"Jane?" she sounded hesitant, almost like she was imagining it.

"Yes, Lisbon. I'm here," he stood up from the chair he had been occupying and moved to her left side. He held her hand and leaned down to gently kiss her forehead.

"I woke up earlier and you weren't here. I thought something had happened to you."

"Don't worry, I'm fine, just a dislocated shoulder and a few cuts and bruises," he smiled at her as she noticed his right arm in a sling for the first time. She tried moving again, and he saw the pain in her eyes.

"What happened to me?"

"Well, you had some pretty deep cuts in your right arm and left thigh. Your arm had some muscle damage too, so you went into surgery so they could mend it as much as possible. You also had some blood transfusions, because of where the cuts were. But other, than that you are expected to make a full recovery." Jane had pulled the chair closer so he could sit and was now leaning on the bed.

"So, when can I go home?" she hissed as she moved her right hand, noticing a cross that had been etched into it. She looked to Jane for an explanation.

"Oh, yes, he managed to get you, don't know how. Everything happened so quickly. And to answer your other question, the doctors said you can go home tomorrow if all is well."

"Great. What happened to the killer? Who was he was anyone else hurt?" Jane smiled at her questioning, knowing he couldn't keep her mind off of work for too long.

"Rigsby and Cho shot him three times, once in the leg, once in the chest and once in the stomach. He's in a critical condition, so now it's a waiting game. Our guy is Adam McGlynn, went by the name Brian Doyle. He was a party planner or social organiser at the hotel. His mother overdosed on cocaine when he was 15, has always blamed her for leaving him. Over the years he has faced similar rejection and when he began working at the hotel he perceived guests who were 'anti-social' as attacking him by rejecting his activities. So he killed them. He would lure the victims out of their room to his waiting van, would drug them, suffocate them and dump their bodies. It seemed like the killings were accomplishments, works of art, and we were supposed to be his final masterpiece. Oh, and Cho and Rigsby and the other guests are all perfectly fine."

"Why us?"

"Don't know. Perhaps because we spoke to some of the victims, or maybe it was because we had the audacity to show our faces at his activities but didn't participate. Who knows? The most important thing is that he has been stopped."

"I guess you're right," she moved her injured arm so in was on top of Jane's hand clasping her other hand.

"I'm always right," he told her grinning. He saw her roll her eyes and leaned over to kiss her softly on the lips. He kept it brief, in case any of the team came into the room.

"We probably have to talk about this," she said motioning between them. The things that had occurred undercover hadn't been discussed yet and with the real world so close they both knew they had to figure out what was happening between them.

"Yeah, we do. But, we can wait until you're out of here and we don't run the risk of being interrupted."

"Sounds good to me," Lisbon smiled at him before laying her head on the pillow and drifting back to sleep, with Jane still holding her hand.


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's the last chapter. I was a bit disappointed about only one review on the last chapter, so a big, big thanks to that one reviewer! Thank you to anyone who has read this story, hope you have enjoyed it. Would love to hear what you think of the last chapter.  
**

* * *

Lisbon was released from hospital the next day after it was determined that she wasn't reacting negatively to the surgery or any of the medication. Before she left the hospital Van Pelt came to take a statement from both Jane and Lisbon. However, this was done in vain considering Lisbon remembered very little about the attack.

When Jane had left the hospital the night before he had gone to Lisbon's apartment and assessed the state of it. They had been undercover for the week so Jane went shopping to fill her empty fridge and cupboards. Since he rarely slept anyway, he spent most of the night cleaning her apartment, including doing her laundry. He knew Lisbon may not appreciate him snooping around her place, but he hoped she would be glad to come home without anything to do.

Given his sleepless night Jane arrived at the hospital early. While she still slept he held her hand and thought about what was going to happen now they were going back to the 'real world'.

The reality was he wanted to be with her, but he was very wary if starting a relationship. Red John was still at large, and as he had shown many times, Lisbon was already in his sights and Jane was worried that a relationships between then would increase the threat.

He was well aware that Lisbon could protect himself, but that knowledge did nothing to suppress his worry. As he continued to ponder his next move, for the first time in 24 hours he began to drift to sleep.

* * *

"Wow, Jane you outdid yourself," Lisbon noticed the work Jane had done in her apartment as the arrived there later that day. Not that she was a extremely messy person, nor was she usually home long enough for a mess to occur, her apartment hadn't looked this spotless in ages. She noticed Jane had picked up clothes, dishes and even dusted, something she rarely got done often enough.

"I didn't want you to come home to work," Jane was still in the doorway, still unsure whether she wanted him to stay or leave for the night.

"Thank you. Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come in?" Jane grinned as he steeped inside and shut the door. Lisbon had already collapsed on the couch and he was quick to sit beside her. Once he was next to her she moved closer to him and wrapped her arm around his waist and leant her head on his chest. Jane couldn't deny the rush he felt with her so close to him.

They sat together in silence for several minutes. Both knew they had to address what had happened undercover, but neither knew what the other wanted so were both wary to approach the subject. Jane was the one to finally break the silence.

"So, I guess we need to talk about everything?"

"That's probably a good idea," Lisbon wanted him to speak first, because she knew about his issues and was still unsure about his state of mind. One thing Vegas had taught her was that she couldn't take anything at face value when it came to Jane, she would have to hear what he had to say before she believed him.

"I assume you want me to all first. Lisbon, to start I want to say that I meant what I said. I love you. I do want to be with you, but there is always the issue of _him_hanging over us. I'm not going to deny that I'm scared, I am terrified that something could happen to you because of me. I just don't want anything to happens to you."

Lisbon stared at him for a few moments before she leaned in a placed her lips on his. It was brief and gentle, but she hoped it conveyed what she was trying to say.

"Jane I know you're worried, but I made myself a target as soon as I started working the case. Regardless of what happens between us he will be after me. Why let him dictate our happiness, if he's going to get me I'd rather enjoy everything before that. I love you and this may be my only shot, I don't want to throw it away. We'll keep it quiet, no one else has to know, we'll just enjoy ourselves. You deserve to enjoy life and have happiness. Don't let _him _take any more of your life away."

Lisbon was nervous when she finished speaking. She hoped he agreed with her and they could enjoy some form of relationship. She didn't have to wait long when Jane kissed her. They didn't part for a few minutes before he broke away. He looked at her for a short moment.

"Okay."


End file.
